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HF 246

as introduced - 86th Legislature (2009 - 2010) Posted on 02/09/2010 01:35am

KEY: stricken = removed, old language.
underscored = added, new language.

Bill Text Versions

Engrossments
Introduction Posted on 01/21/2009

Current Version - as introduced

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A bill for an act
relating to early childhood education; modifying child care assistance provider
rates; creating a quality rating and improvement system; modifying child care
improvement grants; appropriating money; amending Minnesota Statutes 2008,
sections 119B.04, by adding a subdivision; 119B.13, subdivision 3a; 119B.21,
subdivisions 5, 10; proposing coding for new law in Minnesota Statutes, chapter
124D.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

Section 1.

Minnesota Statutes 2008, section 119B.04, is amended by adding a
subdivision to read:


new text begin Subd. 3. new text end

new text begin Quality improvement. new text end

new text begin Beginning July 1, 2009, the commissioner shall
allocate an additional $250,000 per year above the amount allocated in fiscal year 2009
in federal child care and development funds for Parent Aware star rating tool activities
including quality improvement grants, training for Parent Aware providers, accreditation
facilitation, and on-site observations.
new text end

Sec. 2.

Minnesota Statutes 2008, section 119B.13, subdivision 3a, is amended to read:


Subd. 3a.

Provider rate differential for accreditation.

A family child care
provider or child care center shall be paid a 15 percent differential above the maximum
rate established in subdivision 1, up to the actual provider rate, if the provider or center
holds a current early childhood development credentialnew text begin , has received a three or four star
rating on the Parent Aware star rating tool,
new text end or is accredited. For a family child care
provider, early childhood development credential and accreditation includes an individual
who has earned a child development associate degree, a child development associate
credential, a diploma in child development from a Minnesota state technical college, or a
bachelor's or post baccalaureate degree in early childhood education from an accredited
college or university, or who is accredited by the National Association for Family Child
Care or the Competency Based Training and Assessment Program. For a child care center,
accreditation includes accreditation by the National Association for the Education of
Young Children, the Council on Accreditation, the National Early Childhood Program
Accreditation, the National School-Age Care Association, or the National Head Start
Association Program of Excellence. For Montessori programs, accreditation includes
the American Montessori Society, Association of Montessori International-USA, or the
National Center for Montessori Education.

Sec. 3.

Minnesota Statutes 2008, section 119B.21, subdivision 5, is amended to read:


Subd. 5.

Child care services grants.

(a) A child care resource and referral program
designated under section 119B.19, subdivision 1a, may award child care services grants
for:

(1) creating new licensed child care facilities and expanding existing facilities,
including, but not limited to, supplies, equipment, facility renovation, and remodeling;

(2) improving licensed child care facility programs;

(3) staff training and development services including, but not limited to, in-service
training, curriculum development, accreditation, certification, consulting, resource
centers, program and resource materials, supporting effective teacher-child interactions,
child-focused teaching, and content-driven classroom instruction;

(4) interim financing;

(5) capacity building through the purchase of appropriate technology to create,
enhance, and maintain business management systems;

(6) emergency assistance for child care programs;

(7) new programs or projects for the creation, expansion, or improvement of
programs that serve ethnic immigrant and refugee communities; and

(8) targeted recruitment initiatives to expand and build the capacity of the child
care system and to improve the quality of care provided by legal nonlicensed child care
providers.

(b) A child care resource and referral program designated under section 119B.19,
subdivision 1a
, may award child care services grants to:

(1) licensed providers;

(2) providers in the process of being licensed;

(3) corporations or public agencies that develop or provide child care services;

(4) school-age care programs;

(5) legal nonlicensed or family, friend, and neighbor care providers; or

(6) any combination of clauses (1) to (5).

(c) A recipient of a child care services grant for facility improvements, interim
financing, or staff training and development must provide a 25 percent local match.

new text begin (d) Beginning July 1, 2009, grants under this subdivision shall be increasingly
awarded for activities that improve provider quality, including activities under paragraph
(a), clauses (1) to (3).
new text end

Sec. 4.

Minnesota Statutes 2008, section 119B.21, subdivision 10, is amended to read:


Subd. 10.

Family child care technical assistance grants.

(a) A child care resource
and referral organization designated under section 119B.19, subdivision 1a, may award
technical assistance grants of up to $1,000. These grants may be used for:

(1) facility improvements, including, but not limited to, improvements to meet
licensing requirements;

(2) improvements to expand a child care facility or program;

(3) toys and equipment;

(4) technology and software to create, enhance, and maintain business management
systems;

(5) start-up costs;

(6) staff training and development; and

(7) other uses approved by the commissioner.

(b) A child care resource and referral program may award family child care technical
assistance grants to:

(1) licensed family child care providers;

(2) child care providers in the process of becoming licensed; or

(3) legal nonlicensed or family, friend, and neighbor care providers.

(c) A local match is not required for a family child care technical assistance grant.

new text begin (d) Beginning July 1, 2009, grants under this subdivision shall be increasingly
awarded for activities that improve provider quality, including activities under paragraph
(a), clauses (1) and (6).
new text end

Sec. 5.

new text begin [124D.142] QUALITY RATING AND IMPROVEMENT SYSTEM.
new text end

new text begin There is established a quality rating and improvement system based on the goal that
all Minnesota's children have access to high quality early learning and care programs
in a range of settings that meet the needs of children and their families. Creation of a
standards-based quality rating and improvement system includes:
new text end

new text begin (a) Establishing an early care and education framework that improves quality
opportunities for early learning for all of Minnesota's young children. The framework
shall be based on the Minnesota quality rating system rating tool and informed by
evaluation results;
new text end

new text begin (b) Using the framework as a tool to ensure that publicly funded and regulated early
learning and care services in both public and private market programs are high quality.
The state shall establish a plan to link all future state funding to the framework; and
new text end

new text begin (c) Using the framework to track progress toward statewide access to high quality
early learning and care programs, progress toward the number of low-income children
whose parents can access quality programs, and progress in reducing the number of
children not fully prepared to enter kindergarten.
new text end

new text begin In addition, in creating the quality rating and improvement system, the state shall
consider the cost of administering and staffing the system and collecting assessment
and evaluation data.
new text end

new text begin Prior to the creation of a statewide quality rating and improvement system, the state
shall employ the Minnesota quality rating system rating tool in use in fiscal year 2008.
new text end

new text begin EFFECTIVE DATE. new text end

new text begin This section is effective July 1, 2009.
new text end

Sec. 6.

new text begin [124D.143] QUALITY RATING AND IMPROVEMENT SYSTEM;
COLLABORATION.
new text end

new text begin The commissioners of education and human services shall work together to create
common standards for the quality rating and improvement system under section 124D.142.
new text end

Sec. 7. new text begin APPROPRIATIONS.
new text end

new text begin Subdivision 1. new text end

new text begin Child care services grants. new text end

new text begin (a) $....... is appropriated from the
general fund for the biennium ending on June 30, 2011, to the commissioner of human
services for the purpose of providing child care services grants under Minnesota Statutes,
section 119B.21. This appropriation must be used to provide quality improvement grants
to providers who are rated one or two stars on the Parent Aware star rating tool at the time
of application for the grant. This appropriation is added to the base.
new text end

new text begin (b) $....... is appropriated from the general fund for the biennium ending on June
30, 2011, to the commissioner of human services for the purpose of providing child
care services grants under Minnesota Statutes, section 119B.21, subdivision 5. This
appropriation must be used to provide quality improvement grants and is added to the base.
new text end

new text begin Subd. 2. new text end

new text begin Parent Aware star rating tool. new text end

new text begin $....... is appropriated from the general
fund for the biennium ending June 30, 2011, to the commissioner of human services for
the Parent Aware star rating tool. This appropriation shall be used for administration of
the rating tool and for on-site observations. This appropriation is added to the base.
new text end

new text begin Subd. 3. new text end

new text begin Child care development grants. new text end

new text begin $....... is appropriated from the general
fund for the biennium ending June 30, 2011, to the commissioner of human services for
child care development grants under Minnesota Statutes, chapter 119B. This appropriation
is added to the base.
new text end